Method and apparatus for handling pipe in wells



Jufiy 24, 1934. w. A. ROGERS 1,967,517

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PIPE IN WELLS Filed June 26, 1933 2Sheets-Sheet 1 W8 WARogera 3mm MQOQKQ July 24-, 1934. w A, ROGERS1,967,517

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING PIPE IN WELLS Filed June 26, 1933 2Sheets-Sheet 2 F"| 29 g I7 29 3b l o I l u I i l 3/ 35 I. H 30 f l V l Il 30 i 52 32 Y- a i 35 34 l l L. 3 Q

\AJARQ Q Qrs l mented July 24. 1934' UNITED STATES intent PATENT' OFFIENIETHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PIPE 1N WELLS Walter A. Rogers,

sixty-five per cent Tex.

Houston, Tex., amalgam" of to Lester B. Clark, Houston,

Application June 26, 1933, Serial No. 677,572 11 Claims. (01. 255-1)swings the kelly, together withthe swivel and its connections, over toone side of the derrick and drops the kelly into a specially drilled rathole where the kelly is left while the draw works are employed inlifting up another section of pipe and attaching it to the section orsections already in After this new section 01' pipe has been attached,the drill pipeis lowered so that the up-- per end of the newly attachedsection is just above the rotary; the traveling block and elevator isthen lowered and secured to the kelly joint, which is again raised up inthe derrick and the lower end thereof is again attached to the uppertool joint box on the new section 01' pipe. This method is one ingeneral .use and is nomical in the consumption of time as any othermethod now in use. I It is an object of my invention to provide a methodand apparatus whereby this process 01' inserting a new section of pipemay be greatly as to consume less time and to in- 3 creasethe safetyfactor in the operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a means for temporarilyconnecting to the Kelly joint a new section of pipe which may beswunginto position and attached to the sections Q of drill stem alreadyin the well without the necessity of detaching the kelly joint from thetraveling block.

it mechanical feature connected with my invention includes the use of aspecial construc- 49 tion of double-ended elevator whereby a flexibleconnection can be quickly made between the kelly joint and the newsection of pipe which is to he handled.

I also provide a means for temporarily sus- 50 pending a new section ofpipe in the derrick ready for use as soon as it is required. These andother features. of construction making up my invention will he moreparticularly set out in connection with the drawings wherein: Fig. l isa side view of the lower portion of a v reenforced mud well derrickequipped to carry out my invention. Fig. 21s a similar view showing theparts in Fig. 4 is a side elevationoi one portion of the elevatorshowing the use 01' the eyelet whereby the elevator can be supported outof the way when not in use.

Fig. 5 is a top in Fig. 3. I

In- Figs. 1 and 2 the usual apparatus employed in handling the pipe isshown somewhat diagrammatically, the draw works themselves beingomitplan view of the elevator shown pipe is contemplated.

The drill stem which is attached to the drill and rotated in thedrilling operation is under-- stood as being of the usual type andconnected at 39 by means of a bail 6.to the hook 7 on the travelingblock 8. The swivel includes a stationary goose-neck connection 9, whichhas a swivel connection with the upper end'of the kelly joint 2. Thegoose-neck 9 is connected through the usual hose 10 with the mud pumpnot shown, this being'the usual construction.

It is to be understood that as the hole is deepened the kelly joint 2with the drill sections below it are gradually lowered. into the welluntil it becomes necessary to attach another section 109 of drill stem.

7 Instead of releasing the kelly joint from the traveling block as isusually done in handling the new section of pipe, I kelly joint in theusual the table and detach the kelly joint therefrom. .I then couple tothe end of the new section oi drill stem 13 a specially conporarilyholding the structed double-ended elevator-shown at A in the drawing.The lower end of the kelly joint is then swung over in the derrick andthe upper end of. the elevator is coupled to the lower end of the kellyjoint, this arrangement permitting swinging movement of the new sectionrelative to the kelly joint as they are coupled together in spacedrelation. The new section of pipe is then swung up into position, asshown in Fig. 2, by raising the kelly, elevators and new section of pipeand its lower end is then lowered into connection with the upper box 11of the drill stem and the usual connection is made.

The next step is tolower this new section of pipe and the drill stem sothat the upper end is near the rotary table. As soon as this new sectionof pipe is properly supported on the slips, then the kelly joint islowered and threaded onto the new section or the lower elevator of theapparatus can be detached and the kelly joint lowered and connected tothe upper end of the new section of pipe 13. The upper elevator can thenbe detached from the kelly joint and the entire apparatus placed in itsposition on the derrick floor, as shown in Fig. 2, ready forattachment,to another section of the pipe to be used in the nextoperation.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, I contemplate temelevator A in position atone side of the derrick platform by connecting the same to a cable 14,which is suspended around a pulley 15 in the derrick and its free endswung down along the side of the derrick and has a weight 16 securedthereto. The weight 16 being approximately the same as the weight of theelevator, it will be easy at all times to raise and lower the elevatorin use without other special equipment.

The structure of the elevator will now be described. Referringparticularly to Figs. 3, 4 and 5, it will be noted that the elevator Ais composed of two elevators flexibly connected together. The upperelevator 17 is approximately the same as the lower elevator 18, exceptthat thebail connections on the two elevator blocks are reversed inposition. Each of the blocks comprises two approximately semi-circularsections 19 and 20, which are hinged together at one side by hinge pins21 and are adapted to latch together on the opposite side by a latchincluding a T-shaped latch member 22, which is pivoted at one end upon apin 23 secured through two outwardly extending lugs 24 on the section20. The head 25 is adapted to latch over the ends of two spaced lugs 26on the section 19 of the elevator. Thelatch is normally held in latchingposition by means of a spring 27 on the pin 23. Each of the sections 19and 20 may have thereon outwardly extending handles 28. In this portionof the construction the elevator blocks are of ordinary commercialconstruction.

The upper elevator member has on its side thereof outwardly extendingsupports 29 and lower arms 30. A bolt 31 may be extended through theouter ends of two projecting arms and be secured therein by means ofnuts 32. The lower arm 30 is substantially stronger than the upper armand is recessed slightly at 33 to receive the bail 34, and it will beunderstood that when the upper elevator is secured around the lower endof the kelly joint indicated at 35, in Fig. 3, the lower elevator memberwill be sus'iiendcd flexibly thereto by means of the bail members 34.

The lower ends of the bails are connected tothe arms 30 on the lowerelevator and it will be noted -method of adding new sections of drillstem that the lower elevator has the arms 30' and 29' reversedinposition upon the elevator so that the bails 34 are connected with :thearms 30 so as to suspend the lower elevator from the upper one.

At one side of the upper elevator I connect an eyelet 36 whereby thehook on the suspending cable 14 may be temporarily attached thereto whenthe elevator is not in use. This eyelet comprises an approximately U-shaped clevis, the ends of which are secured one beneath the head ofthe hinge pin 21 and the other between the two sections of the elevatorat the hinge, as shown particularly in Fig. 4.

It will be obvious that with the use of my improved form of elevator Iam enabled to-handle the connection of new sections of pipe in the drillstem with less loss of time and with greater convenience to the operatorthan can be done by the old method.

It will not be necessary to use a "rat hole into which the kelly jointmay be supported while a new section of pipe is being handled byelevators in the usual method. All that is necessary is to detach thekelly and engage the elevator with the lower end of the kelly and theupper end of the new section and swing the said new section intoposition and connect it with the drill stem. The elevator may then beswung out of position ready for attachment to a new section of pipe andthe kelly may be connected and the drilling 105 proceed without delay.This avoids a loss of time which is serious in the expenseof drilling awell and is much. more convenient and desirable from the standpoint ofthe operator. The advantages will be understood by those skilled in theart.

What is claimed as new is:

1. An elevator for wells comprising upper and lower tubular collars,each longitudinally divided into two sections, a hinge at one side ofeach collar, a latch thereon opposite said hinge, the 1 5 latches onsaid collars being longitudinally aligned to open on the same sidethereof, bail supporting arms on said upper collar, arms on said lowercollar engaged by said bail and means to retain said bails on said arms.

2. A pair of elevator collars each adapted to latch about a differentpipe, bail engaging arms adjacent the lower end of one of said collars,similar arms adjacent the upper end of the other of said collars, andbails engaging said arms and flexibly connecting said collars wherebythe pipe engaged by one collar may be used to lift the elevator and pipeengaged by the other collar. I

3. Upper and lower elevator collars each adapted to latch about adifierent pipe, laterally projecting arms on each collar and bailsengaging said arms to flexibly connect said collars whereby the ends ofthe two different pipes may be supported in spaced apart relation orcoupled together.

4. In a well drilling apparatus including a sectional drill stem, akelly joint thereon, and a hoisting cable connected therewith forraising and lowering said kelly joint and drill stem, the method ofattaching additional sections of drill stem including detaching thekelly joint from the drill stem, swinging said kelly joint to a pointadjacent said new section, connecting said kelly joint flexibly withsaid new section of drill stem, raising said kelly joint and said newsection to a position above said drill stem, at- 1 5 taching said newsection to said drill stem, disconnecting said flexible connection andscrewing said kelly joint to said new section.

S. in the operation of rotary well drilling, the

the main string of drill stem, comprising unscrewing the keily jointfrom the. drill stem, connecting the lower end of said keily jointilexibly with the upper end 01' the new section, rais- I ing the keily Jint and said new section to position above said drill stem, connectingsaid new section with said drill stem, releasing said flexibleconnection and attaching said keily joint to said new section.

6. In the operation of rotary well drilling the method or addingnew'sections of drill stem in the main drill stem string comprisingdetaching the keily joint, connecting the upper end of the new drillstem section to said keily Joint, raising said new section to positionabove said drill stem and attaching said new section to the upper end ofsaid drill stem.

7. An elevator for handling two uncoupled pipe sections comprising upperand lower pipe engaging' collars eachlongitudinally dividedintosections, a hinge at one side of each collar, a latch thereon oppositesaid hinge whereby each collar may be engaged abouta pipe, bailsupporting arms on said upper collar, arms on said lower collar, bailsengaging both sets of said arms whereby the two collars are spaced apartso that the pipe end engaged by each collarmay be spaced from the other,and means toretain said bails on said arms. 7

8. A device of the character described, upper and lower pipe-receivingelevator collars adapted to latch about the pipe received, and meansflex ihly connecting said collars together wherebythe pipe engaged bythe 1113362301181 may be disposed at an angle with'respect the pipe ecased by the lower collar.

9. A pipe handling device for use in connecting additional sections 01'pipe to a drill stem comprising an elevator means to engage the upperend oi the additional joint oipipe to be added, a second elevator meansto receive the lower, end or the keily joint as it'is disconnected fromthe drill stem, and means connecting said elevators whereby one may haveswinging movement with respect to the other in connecting the additionalsection and then the keily joint to the drill stem.

10. A method of adding a new section of pipe to a drill stem in therotary method 01' drilling wells consisting'ot the steps 01'disconnecting the keily joint from the drill stem, linking the lowerendot the keily Joint to the upper end or the new section, raising thekeily Joint so that the new section will swing into line over the drillstem, connecting the new section to the drill stem, lowering the drillstemthe length of the new section and connecting the keily joint to thenew section. v

i ii. In the art oidrilling wells by the rotary method by addingsections of drill pipe to the drill stem as the drilling progresses andwherein -thedrill stem is rotated by a kelly joint, the

steps of disconnecting the keily joint from the drili'stem when a newsection is to be added, coupling the lower end oi the keily joint to thenewsection so that the new section may have swinging movement relativeto the kelly Joint, raising the keily joint and new section whilecoupled-so that the new section will swing into line with the-drillstem, and then successively connecting the newsection and the keilyjoint to rotate the drill stem,

' WALTER A. ROGERS.

